The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-08-05
Adventures Of Tad;
Gaps And NSHlpS OF LOST SACHEL.
A Story for Young and Old.
BY FRANK H. CONVERSE,
SAurHoR OF PEPPER ADAMs'' "BIowN Our
10 SEA-" "PAUL GRAFTON" ETC.


SAurnoR OF PEPPER ADAMS "BLowN Our
10 SEA-" "PAUL GRAFTON" ETC.
Hcepw;eased, 1856, by D. Lothrop d Co., and
Published 6y Special Arrangement
CHAPTER Iu.-CoNTrNuEp
''Down to Commercial wharf, where
,our vessel lies, was the unhesitating
=answer. my father is Captain Jethro
-Flagg. and I'm Polly Flagg," contin-
sued Miss Polly, vaguely conscious that
some sort of introduction was the
proper thing, under all the circum-
sstances.
MY name is Tad-I mean Thaddeus
-Thorne, and I'm from Philadelphia,
said Tad, wishing that his jacket was
less threadbare and his shoes were
whole, as he glanced at the simple but
meat dress of his companion, whose
face was completely overshadowed by
"a deep calico sun-bonnet shaped like
sthe tilt of a market wagon.
''Oh!' returned Polly, and then, in
stead Of speaking of the weather, or
sasking Tad how he liked Boston, Polly
plunged headlong into personal ex-
PLANTATION: 1.-The cook wasn't well this
morning." she began, $50 had to go
to market, for father was uptown. And
while l was hurrying back through
Lewis Lane. because it was nearer,
those horrid boys chased the poor little
.dog that had got lost, and he ran to
me so pitiful," sail Polly, bending over
the small animal in her arms until it
was completely eclipsed by the sun
bonnet, "that 1 caught him up. and
said they shouldn't have him. Then
you came along, and-rm ever SO
much obliged
The abrupt wind-up. though little
5incoherent, was perfectly satisfactory
to Tad.
'.He'll be nice little dog after he's
washed" Tad remarked, patting the
pup to cover his embarrassment, for
Tad wasn't used to thanks, particularly
from girls. Il guess he's Newfound-
land, he continued, with knowing
glance at the animals ears and paws,
~s.and they're first-class water-dogs, you
Know"
Polly nodded, and. after a short
pause, looked curiously at the hand
some travelling sachel in Tad's hand.
"You don't belong to any of those
-vessels?" she asked, inquiringly. For
they had crossed busy Commercial
sxtreet, and were walking along the
platform on the water front, where the
pedestrian looks down upon the bewil-
-<iering maze of masts. spars and cord
age belonging to the coasting and fish
ing craft huddled in the basin between
the two wharves.
NO" replied Tad, in low voice
He could not tell her that he belonged
80 nothing-to no one. as ne mentally
expressed it. 1t would make him seem
like a sort of vagrant, youthful tramp.
Nor did he-to Polly's secret disap-
pointment-account for his possession
of the handsome little travelling sachel,
with its silver mountings, at which
Polly had cast admiring chances.
Il hope he came by it honestly"
thought Polly, and then was ashamed
of the ungenerous self-suggestion.
Yet, l am afraid it fingered uncon-
-sciously in her mind, for she had in the
flush of her gratitude decided she would
ask Tad to take dinner with herself and
Captain Flagg, on board the MARY j."
But as they reached the end of Com
mercial wharf, where the MARY j."
was moored, Polly hesitated a little.
"You can come aboard, if You like"
she said; but Tad, who noticed her al
most imperceptible change Of manner
without being able to account for it,
shook his head.
"Oh, no, miss; I don't look fit" he
replied, with glance at his shabby
CLOTHES and patched shoes, that was pa
thetic. 81 come down here" he con-
tinued. simply, "because there wasn't
-any other place where l could set down
Sand look over the papers-good-morn-
ing, miss" and before Polly could re-
,ply Tad was gone.
CHAPTER ".
Just astern of the MARY j." large
iron steamer was discharging her cargo
of cotton bales, dozen or more of
which were TERED up one upon an
-other, at the verge of the wharf.
Looking about him to make sure
that he was unobserved, Tad scram-
bled up the back side of the tier.
-and, crawling nimbly OYER the top.
dropped into narrow niche between
two of the bales. where, well sheltered
from the wind, and warmed by the sun,
he found that without being seen
he could look directly down upon the
~'Mary j. IS" deck.
Polly Flagg had thrown aside her
ugly head-gear, and, using the end of
the half-house for wash-bench, was
vigorously scrubbing the small dog,
who feebly protested. in . bucket of
warm water furnished by the cook-a
"diminutive colored man with very
round shoulders, and woody locks plen-
stifully powdered with gray.
There, little dog" said Polly, as
sshe rubbed the whimpering pup with |
bit of an old sail-cloth. '.you were new
-er so clean in your life before. Now, |
George MISUNDERSTANDING the
-colored ndividual-''take him and Law |
him in the galley by the fire fill ba,s |